This lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file, "Columbus Park" (with photographs). It was produced in collaboration with the National Park Service Historic Landscape Initiative. Julia Sniderman Bachrach, Preservation Planning Supervisor, Chicago Park District, and Jo Ann Nathan, Director, Jens Jensen Legacy Project, wrote Columbus Park: The Prairie Idealized. Jean West, education consultant, and the Teaching with Historic Places staff edited the lesson plan. TwHP is sponsored, in part, by the Cultural Resources Training Initiative and Parks as Classrooms programs of the National Park Service. This lesson is one in a series that brings the important stories of historic places into the classrooms across the country.

Objectives for students1) To examine how the growth of American cities influenced the development and design of public parks such as Columbus Park in Chicago.2) To explain the landscape philosophy of Jens Jensen.3) To identify methods used to generate public opinion in support of the preservation of historic landscapes such as Columbus Park and other locales.4) To conduct research about the plants, landscapes, and spaces of their own community and suggest strategies to promote their conservation.

Materials for studentsThe materials listed below either can be used directly on the computer or can be printed out, photocopied, and distributed to students. The maps and images appear twice: in a smaller, low-resolution version with associated questions and alone in a larger version.1)three maps of the site and surrounding area;2)three readings on Columbus Park and Jens Jensen;3)seven photographs of the site.

Visiting the site
Columbus Park, administered by the Chicago Park District, is located at 500 South Central Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. It is located off I-290, the Eisenhower Expressway, at exit 23. Consult schedules of Chicago Transit Authority buses and the elevated train for public transportation to Columbus Park. The park is open year-round although the field house is closed on Sundays. For information visit the Chicago Park District Web site.